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AWARENESS

STICKS & STONES as a Safe(r) Space

STICKS & STONES is Europe’s largest job and career fair for LGBTIQ+ and all straight people, who celebrate diversity. A space for the community where diversity and inclusion are the most important values. The fair aims to be a mindful and safe(r) space for all visitors. Awareness is an attitude and therefore a shared responsibility of each and every one! This includes respectfully maintaining everyone’s boundaries and critically questioning and reflecting on our own behaviour.

Discrimination, devaluation, aggressive and transgressive behaviour have absolutely no place at STICKS & STONES, because: All festival participants should be able to feel safe and comfortable with us, regardless of age, ethnic origin and nationality, gender and gender identity, physical and mental abilities, religion and worldview, sexual orientation and social background.

If you observe or experience an inappropriate situation and would like professional support in dealing with it, please contact the awareness team, which you will recognize by the violet vests. You can visit the team at any time at the awareness booth in the entrance area of the Arena. 

You can also contact people from the STICKS & STONES crew, who you will recognize by their STICKS & STONES T-shirts. We will be happy to support you.

Support & safety:

The presence of the team means that there are always experienced people on site who you can turn to if you feel uncomfortable. You can tell the awareness team about your experiences and count on their confidentiality. You will be taken absolutely seriously: only you know your boundaries and whether they have been exceeded.

If you wish, the people in the awareness team can provide you with needs-based and solution-oriented support, mediate conflicts, intervene on site or recommend advice centres.

The awareness team also has access to a quiet room where they can accompany you if necessary. There you can seek protection and/or rest.

Raising Awareness:

For the most part, there is a consensus in our community that we value diversity and want to live inclusion. It is therefore important to give space to marginalized perspectives and to learn from and with each other. Our awareness team will be happy to give you tips on sources of information about different forms, dimensions and the intersectionality of discrimination.

The Queer Mama Awareness Team introduces itself.

“The Queer Mama Awareness Team is an independent group dedicated to ensuring safety within the queer community. We prioritize approachability, conflict resolution, harm reduction, and overall wellbeing, striving to create a non-judgmental environment at events.

Promoting marginalized identities is a crucial part of Queer Mama’s mission, achieved through breaking down barriers, exchanging perspectives, and promoting education.

During events, we focus on ensuring all participants understand the importance of awareness. In situations involving judgment, consent, discrimination, aggression, substance use, or emergencies, the Awareness Team intervenes. The team operates with a non-judgmental, non-violent approach, emphasizing de-escalation, wellbeing, and empowerment.”

Your opinion counts - for an even more inclusive event!

We are constantly developing our concept to make STICKS & STONES even more inclusive and inviting every year. Your opinion is particularly important to us! If you would like to give us feedback on your experience with awareness or have ideas on how we can become even more inclusive, we would be delighted to hear from you. You can find the feedback form for Awareness as a QR code at the Awareness booth – your perspective helps us to make the event even better for everyone!